When performing detailed pathological examinations, preparation of a holoblastic specimen for organic texture may be required. More specifically, a detailed pathological examination is performed by slicing the texture in its entirety to prepare slice sections, each of the specimen is adhered to a glass slide to be examined with a microscope.
Usually, a texture slice is prepared manually with a slicing knife such as a special pathological knife for slicing a larger texture mass of parenchymal organs such as prostate gland, lacteal gland, lung, liver, heart, and others. For example, to examine a holoblastic specimen of a prostate tissue after a surgery is performed for a prostate cancer, sliced samples should be prepared in a uniform thickness of approximately 3 mm, each having smooth surfaces each.
However, texture mass is generally highly deformable due to its softness, flexibility and elasticity. Further, as described above, because the texture mass should be sliced in a uniform thickness manually with a pathological knife, the operations would be a possibility to injure his finger tips with the knife. Therefore, it is difficult to prepare texture slices in a uniform thickness and having smooth surfaces without experience and skill. Further, even for those with experience and skill needs significant amount of time.
For example, Muromachi Kikai Co. (at http://www.muromachi.com/products/Physio/aster.html) (“Muromachi”) presents a block called “brain slicer” for preparing slices of brain of a mouse or a rat. This block for preparing slices of brain is made by hollowing out an acrylic resin block in a shape of a brain for putting a sample of brain of a mouse or a rat. The block comprises slits formed at equal space intervals (1 mm, 2 mm or 3 mm), into which razors are inserted to obtain fresh brain slices.
However, if the block for preparing brain slices presented in Muromachi were resized and used for block tissues of human body, the following problems might occur.
As described above, because a texture mass of a parenchymal organ is soft with high flexibility and elasticity, the texture mass cannot be fixed properly only by inserting the texture mass into a hollow of the block on which brain slices are prepared. That is, even when efforts are made to slice the mass in a straight line, the texture mass tends to be moved to the side or deformed to cause irregular cross sections due to the weight of the pathological knife inserted from above.
Further, the block for preparing brain slices is made for slicing only brain samples of small animals, such as mice and rats. The brain sample of a small animal is much smaller than that of human's, and is less variable in size and shape for each individual. On the other hand, a texture mass of a human body varies considerably in size and shape depending on the organs or individual differences of the same organ. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to prepare in advance many blocks provided with various hollows that accommodate such different sized objects.
One of the purposes of the present invention is to prepare texture slices manually with a slicing tool such as a pathological knife, in uniform thicknesses and having smooth surfaces with neither experience nor skill for this operation.
Another purpose of the present invention is, in addition to the purpose described above, to allow an operator to slice even a texture mass of various sizes and thicknesses.
Further, another purpose of the present invention will be explained further hereinafter.